


cats of moscow

by Star_Boy_Baku



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Boys Kissing, Bratty Yaku, Drunken Kissing, Drunkenness, Explicit Language, Fluff, Homesickness, Kissing, Kissing at Midnight, M/M, Model Haiba Lev, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, New Years, Post-Time Skip, Pro Volleyball Player Yaku Morisuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28359627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Boy_Baku/pseuds/Star_Boy_Baku
Summary: Yaku had seen him on billboards all over the world - Lev and his sister were icons, both so stunningly beautiful it was infuriating. He had watched him appear on perfume ads on TV, seen him on the news during fashion week presenting the most prestigious designers, nothing of this Lev was part of the Lev from school, the eager and whiny boy not able to receive a ball properly and yet he was a flash of home, a blurred memory lingering on his mind and making his heart ache."Lev", Yaku even had missed how his name rolled over his tongue. "What the hell are you doing in this shithole of a motel?"
Relationships: Haiba Lev/Yaku Morisuke
Comments: 15
Kudos: 118
Collections: My favorite haikyuu fics





	cats of moscow

"Storm front Myriam continues to leave a devastating mark on the west of Russia. Airports and most of the public transportation will continue to shut down over New Year's Eve. Heavy snowfall is expected later this day, we appeal urgently to not leave the-", Yaku turned off the TV and threw the remote on the mattress of his shabby motel room. It bounced off and clattered on the floor, batteries went flying.

A frustrated scream echoed from the walls when Yaku kicked against the squeaking bedpost. He hated everything about this. From the fucking snowstorm that had gone on a rampage the past days to the fact he would be spending New Year's Eve in a fucking motel room in fucking Moscow with no way of getting home to his friends and family in Japan in time. With the airports being closed he had no choice but to stay here at the only motel, which still had had room to offer, while every hotel had been flooded with stranded tourists. His eyes darted to the only window in the room, leading to the fire escape stairs and showing hints of the airport's structure of Moscow through a ferocious blizzard.

Yaku heaved a deep sigh and started to get dressed. Even if he managed to get a bus to Ekaterinburg now, deciding to spend with the teammates that had actually stayed, he would never make it before midnight. A bus ride through this monster of weather would probably take two days. Apparently, he was damned to stay here, just him, a broken remote and whatever could be found in the small fridge next to the double bed. He peeked inside to find some bottled water, cans of Russian beer and a lazy cockroach next to a huge, brownish stain on the bottom of the fridge. Yaku slammed the door shut with a disgusted frown.

This was just great. He needed alcohol. Lots of it. And a cigarette.

Yaku slipped into his Cheegle Ekaterinburg jacket and wrapped a huge scarf around his neck for about four times, put on his leather gloves and woolly beanie and knew he would freeze his ass off regardless but at least he would die in style. To be honest, dying in a giant pile of snow while on the way to some rundown Russian kiosk would be a perfect way to end this godforsaken day.

_Yeah, please, snowstorm Myriam, take me before I've to spend the countdown all by myself with a cup of bush-league ramen and tasteless vodka._

He knew he was being petty. He could already hear Kuroo's voice telling him to relax and to make the most of his day anyway. But Yaku wasn't Kuroo and Yaku wanted to be petty right now. He wanted to be mad at Moscow, which wasn't to blame and to yell at the poor cashier of the kiosk he would barge into like an utter brat because the odds were stacked against him and he was so damn homesick. He missed his parents, he missed the humid summers of Tokyo, he missed his friends.

For Yaku New Year's Eve had always been special. A day where he would spend most of the afternoon cleaning his parent's house, clear up everything for the year to come, create a list of resolutions to pin on the fridge and read the one of the past year. Where he would meet up with Kuroo for the last workout together and catch up on the latest news during the holidays before he would leave for Korean barbecue with his parents and come back to his friends with way too sweet Suzune sparkling sake. A day where he would count down to midnight with everyone and might get a kiss to greet the new year together.

Yaku had shared a few midnight kisses over the past years. The first had been with Kuroo when they had been seventeen and awfully drunk and even more stupid, others with trifling flings he mostly had met during the same night, some with an actual boyfriend. However, this year he was alone. Even if he had gotten a flight to Japan, there wouldn't have been a lover waiting for him.

Yaku was fine with that. At least, that's what he told himself when he finally stepped out of the motel into the blizzard and failed to light a cigarette in the icy winds. Another bad habit. Loneliness made him rough and harmful towards his body. It was the time where he became reckless; despite being a professional athlete who should take good care of his body, Yaku would turn towards guilty pleasures like alcohol and tobacco to ease the numbness in his mind. The memories of home. They would haunt him all night. Yaku slipped across the icy street and almost slumped into a snowdrift on the sidewalk, which turned out to be a car completely vanished under the sheer mass of snow. Needless to say, he lost his cigarette about two metres into his journey.

But it would've been a miracle if anything on this fucking day would actually work out in his favour, anyway. He actually was surprised he made it to the kiosk in one piece. Secretly, he had wished for the blizzard to merely hurl him into the next bypassing car and end his suffering. Again, he was being dramatic and over the top but it was just one of those days.

It would continue to be one of those days.

Yaku roamed through the shelves of the kiosk - most of them were empty. The people had been in a panic once they realized the blizzard would become this devastating and bought everything they could get. That was fine, Yaku only wanted a cup of instant ramen to have something warm inside his stomach and approached the shelf where they were stored. Resentment roiled in his stomach when he watched the barren shelf. Seriously? Those fucking Russians had stolen his damn ramen?

Yaku took off his leather gloves and turned towards the poor cashier, a pale, pimpled teenager who probably wished to be somewhere else on the last day of the year and who definitely wished to be somewhere else when he stared into Yaku's glinting eyes. The guy was taller than him but Yaku didn't flinch and his annoyed aura was enough to make the teenager shiver.

"I need ramen."

"Uh...we are completely wiped. Sorry."

"Check the storeroom", Yaku demanded.

"Sir, the storeroom is empty. There is a blizzard and everybody has been buying like crazy-"

"Oh really? A blizzard? I haven't noticed", Yaku pressed his palms on the counter and was ready to jump at his throat. The boy made a step backwards until his head hit the shelf that stored all the alcohol. Yaku's dark brown eyes narrowed before he pointed at the most expensive vodka bottle.

"Give me that one. And a cup of ramen."

"Sir, we are out of ramen."

Yaku took a deep breath, trying to contain all the frustration that had built up over the course of the day and to not murder this fucking loser on the spot and instead flashed him a fake smile, still looking like he was out for blood: "You really want to tell me when there is the blizzard of the century your people run to the store and grab every last bit of instant ramen they can get?! Hell, can't you idiots just stick to vodka and-"

"That's kind of racist, you know?"

"I'm going to-"

"Also the guy who bought all 20 cups of ramen we had left had a similar accent to you, so I guess it was one of _your people_ ", the teenage boy grinned at him with a smug expression and Yaku wanted to strangle him with his scarf but he nodded and put down the money for the vodka instead. Without another word, he left the kiosk.

_Who the fuck buys 20 cups of ramen?!_

Fine, no ramen for him. And apparently, no other food either because in his rage Yaku had completely forgotten to get anything else but like hell, he would go back to pimple-face and threw more money his way. He stayed close to the house wall to light his second cigarette and felt the pressure on his forehead subsiding when he exhaled the smoke, which was immediately swept away by a gust of arctic wind.

With nothing but a bottle of vodka, Yaku fought himself through the blizzard to his motel room for the best touristic Moscow experience ever. He only slipped twice but managed to not hurt his ankle even though it would've been perfect for this day - spraining his ankle so he wouldn't be able to play next term. When he entered the depressing hallway of his motel, he noticed a plastic bag around the handle of the room next to his. Yaku squinted at it in disbelief when he recognized several empty cups of instant ramen inside.

"What the actual-", before he had been frustrated but now he was furious. Of course, the ramen-thief was booked into the room next door. Yaku hoped the idiot was sound asleep and stomped into his own room as noisily as possible with his small body, slamming the door shut so firmly, it knocked some plaster off the shabby walls.

But instead of muffled complaints, he heard loud laughing through the wall. He trampled towards his bed after he got rid of several layers of clothing with shaking fingertips and the response came immediately. Ramen-thief turned up the volume of his TV until Yaku could understand every single Russian word. Of course, it was a weather report. Telling him how all the airports were shut down and that he would spend the rest of his life in this garbage dumpster of a motel.

Giving zero fucks anymore, Yaku opened his vodka and took two sips straight out of the bottle before he dragged the back of his hand over his mouth. He wanted to call his family but with the TV next door being this loud there was no chance he would understand a single word. Maybe a shower to cool down was the better choice. He could call everyone later.

After the cockroach-incident, he hesitated to enter the tiny bathroom but another sip of vodka encouraged him enough to strip out of his shorts and grab a fresh towel out of his suitcase. He pushed the mouldy shower curtain out of the way with the broken remote, too squeamish to actually touch it and finally stepped into the shower. Yaku closed his eyes before he was tempted to inspect the yellowish tiles for any more vermin - better he didn't see any or he would vomit. Or rather, destroy the whole interior of this hellish place in a frenzy.

The water was surprisingly hot and once it splashed against his neck and shoulders, his tensed muscles relax. He tilted his head, bathing in the almost scalding spray of the showerhead and a deep sigh heaved his whole body. Tired hands brushed through short light-brown hair, massaging his scalp and washing away the stress of the day. And what a day it had been. Yaku wanted nothing more than being home right now but here, underneath the water with eyes shut it felt like he already was at another place than the stuffy motel room.

Yaku shifted beneath the water, his hands scrubbing over his chest and arms with his soap that also smelled like home; he sighed when the homesickness formed as an intense prickling behind his eyes and swallowed down the upcoming tears. Instead, Yaku tried to focus on the way his fingers massaged his taut muscles, letting the hot water brush against his body and ease the stress knotted inside his chest.

He almost forgot where he was, escaping into daydreams and the luxury of steaming water caressing his skin when the ramen-thief next door flushed his toilet and the warm water changed into an arctic wave that deep-froze him on the spot. Yaku screamed and immediately slipped, desperately grabbing for the shower curtain he had pushed too far back, reaching the last piece of mouldy fabric and crashing onto the bathroom tiles. The curtain got ripped off its pole but before it could land on top of him, Yaku had dodged out of the way.

Thank God for his amazing libero reflexes.

Still soaking wet he rushed out of the bathroom. Wet fists hammered against the wall, plaster falling down once again and because any Russian words he knew weren't severe enough to express his anger, he yelled a litany of profanities in passionate Japanese at the ramen-thief on the other side of the wall. Yaku was tempted to storm his apartment here and now, however, he realized last second he was still naked and soaked. Anger simmered under his skin as he scrubbed himself dry furiously and put the towel around his hip.

He didn't care anymore. Half-naked, his skin still reddened from the shower and his hair dripping wet, he marched out of his room to the floor, yanking away the plastic bag with the empty ramen cups from his neighbour's doorhandle and knocked - or rather gave the poor, brittle door a beating. The TV noises died down and he could hear someone rummaging on the other side of the door.

"Hey! Ramen-thief! Open the door, you fucking moron!", his tirade was a mixture of broken Russian and enraged Japanese because Yaku was too furious to keep the two languages apart anymore but when the person on the other side of the way too thin walls opened the door, he choked on his words.

The first thing he noticed was the scent. While Yaku smelled of home right now, the other person reminded him of luxurious champagne, extravagant parties and glamorous sex. A scent that clashed heavily with their run-down surroundings yet fit perfectly to the man in front of him. Light-grey, almost white, hair was swept back delicately and matched the pale skin perfectly. A dark, pierced eyebrow arched upwards when the other one looked down at him. He was tall with legs reaching up to the moon, defined and lithe and dressed in almost indecently short black pants, the type that made Yaku's mouth awfully dry. An oversized expensive-looking shirt hid most of his body yet Yaku caught a glimpse of arm muscles twitching when he supported himself against the doorframe.

Despite scenting like luxury and extravagance, his slanted, green eyes locking him in his intense gaze were but one thing: home.

Of all people in the world to book into the same motel as him during the blizzard of the century on New Year's Eve, it was Haiba fucking Lev. A laugh bucked in his chest and for the first time on this godforsaken day, Yaku was at loss for words. He could watch how the muscles in Lev's even jaw flexed and his lips curled into a smile.

"Yaku-san!", before Yaku could answer, Lev had picked him up from the ground and crushed him into a tight hug that squeezed all remaining air out of his lungs.

"Leeeev!", he wiggled in his grip, feeling the knot of his towel loosening and hastily tugged it back as soon as the taller one put him back on his feet. "Don't pick me up like that! I'm not a cat!"

"You're still as small as one, though", Lev grinned, excitement sparkling in his green eyes.

Yaku slammed the door shut and showed a satisfied smile when he heard Lev whining from the other side because he had caught his head in between. The annoyance of someone mocking his height made room for sheer euphoria in his body. Yaku dashed back into his room and quickly put on grey joggers and a black shirt. He still had trouble grasping any coherent thoughts. Swift fingers snatched the bottle of vodka before he left his room and knocked on Lev's door once more.

"That hurt, Yaku-san", Lev was rubbing his forehead when Yaku squeezed past him into the room. "You've to be more careful. This face needs to be flawless to keep the money flowing."

Yaku had seen him on billboards all over the world - Lev and his sister were icons, both so stunningly beautiful it was infuriating, marble statues putting all normal humans to shame. He had watched him appear on perfume ads on TV, seen him on the news during fashion week presenting the most prestigious designers, nothing of this Lev was part of the Lev from school, the eager and whiny boy not able to receive a ball properly and yet he was a flash of home, a blurred memory lingering on his mind and making his heart ache.

"Lev", Yaku even had missed how his name rolled over his tongue. "What the hell are you doing in this shithole of a motel?" Several cups of ramen were stored on the small cupboard next to the TV, three suitcases leaning on the shabby wall. Only his bed was clean and Yaku noticed Lev had brought his own sheets, expensive silken and lush bedclothes. A presentation of luxury to draw a sharp line between the otherwise ratty interior of the room.

"I was filming for another perfume commercial in Moscow when the blizzard started. My manager wanted to book me into Ritz-Carlton but I don't like the way the cleaners fold your bedsheets there so I refused. Then everything was booked and I decided to come here."

"Oh shit, you're a snob."

"Eh? I've been eating nothing but instant ramen today, I'm not a snob!"

"Yeah", Yaku crossed his arms and glared towards the cups. "You're the reason I'm starving."

"I'm willing to share with my lovely senpai from school."

***********

Everything felt surreal. They were sitting on lush bedsheets with instant ramen and a vodka bottle they passed around while updating each other on their lives the past months. They spoke fast, sometimes words slipped because both of them were so excited to speak Japanese again after such a long time away from home and kept interrupting each other. Yaku felt like he had entered another world - after a day full of freezing hardships and aching homesickness Lev's appearance had been like sudden summer breeze taking him back to his school days, where the sun shone brighter and everyone's biggest problem had been their newest team member too clumsy to receive.

Yaku caught himself staring at Lev in disbelief whenever the other one wasn't looking. Not because he was still overwhelmed he was here but because the way he moved was so different from what he knew. They had been in contact over the years, via social media mostly, not in person. He had seen him on TV, strutting down a runway but he had thought of it as part of the job not that Lev would move this way every second of the day. But he did. Every slight movement of his hand was smooth, his back was straight even while sitting on the bed, his legs crossed most elegantly. And he made it seem so effortless, almost natural how he passed him the vodka and told him about past photoshoots, tossing his head back to laugh at his remarks, dimples cutting into sharp cheeks. He couldn't believe this was the man he had bossed around in school.

"Anything wrong, Yaku-san?", the only thing that hadn't changed was his guileless voice. Still, Yaku felt the heat creeping up his neck when Lev caught him staring at him.

"Uh, no. Just surprised to find a piece of home in this awful place."

"A piece of...home?", Lev echoed, confusion in his deep green eyes.

"I mean you, idiot" if he hid back in highschool banter he might be less nervous, Yaku thought and took another dauntless sip of vodka, coughing instantly. "I didn't expect to see you here. To see anyone from back home, to be honest. I made my peace with going into the new year alone, yet here you are."

"I see", Lev put their empty ramen cups away and stroke a strand of white hair behind his ear. Yaku watched how the curl brushed past his earlobe once more, immediately falling back into his face. "New Year's Eve means a lot to you, Yaku-san?"

"It's a special day."

"Really? Why?"

"Because it's the last day of the year?", now it was the libero's turn to be confused. Again, Lev looked at him with this gullible face, like he still was the fifteen-year-old boy of his memory. Only he wasn't. His jaw was defined and sharp, his eyes glinting with charm, the piercing at his eyebrow sparkling in the muddy light of the motel room. "I usually spend it together with my family and friends."

"Oh, Nekoma New Year's Eve party. I remember", Lev grinned, memories suddenly flashing back into his head. "Fukunaga-san had this weird comedy set he recited before midnight."

Yaku burst into laughter when he remembered Fukunaga's Mr. Freeze impersonation on a small improvised stage in their volleyball clubroom. For him, it had been incredibly funny but he also had been drunk so the whole performance was blurry: "Exactly! And Yamamoto laughed so hard he fell into the punch bowl."

"Kenma-san tried to sneak away but Kuroo-san bribed him with videogames."

"We played...was it Monster Hunter? Over the projector on the wall", Yaku nodded eagerly, pictures of an almost forgotten party of his closest teenage friends reappearing in his head. His cheeks flushed in sudden excitement - or maybe it was the vodka finally kicking in, who knew?

"Yeah, but you were too drunk and couldn't hit a single mob, Yaku-san."

"You remember that?"

"You were wasted", an unknown, cheeky smirk tugged at the corner of Lev's lips, one Yaku had yet to learn about and it made his heart fell out of rhythm, pulsing in his veins. "You were moping around you wouldn't have anyone to kiss at midnight even though it was necessary for good luck in the next year until Kuroo-san caved in and promised to kiss you. I think Fukunaga-san still has the pictures..."

Yaku could feel the burning heat on his face now, desperately trying to avert his eyes, so he had no other choice but to stare out of the window intensely even though the blizzard blocked out the sight of Moscow. Lev's gaze prickled on his embarrassed self, causing a shiver jolting down his spine. He cleared his throat: "Well... it is said to bring good luck, after all..."

"Sure", Lev grinned.

"Enough about my drunk teenage escapades. What about you? Don't you care about New Year's Eve at all? I mean, aren't you missing your family?", he changed the subject and hoped Lev would fall for it. Luckily, Lev seemed to still be the most naive person in the world and followed suit.

"Nah. Alisa and I are all over the place most of the year, so our parents don't even bother with inviting us over the holidays. She's currently filming a commercial in Italy - or was it Greece? I'm not sure, I can't even keep track of my own schedule. Luckily, I've my manager", he chuckled but the smile dropped when he noticed Yaku's thunderstruck face. "What?"

"You're so surreal", Yaku blurted out. "Fuck, Lev, I can't believe you are a fricking celebrity now."

"Eh? What are you talking about, Yaku-san? You are a celebrity yourself."

"I'm an athlete. That's different. There are no billboards of me hanging in Shibuya."

"Ah, those are pretty cool, huh?", a wisp of red painted over the pale skin of his cheeks and nose and Yaku swallowed hard. "But still, I'm glad I get to spend New Year's Eve in this lovely motel with you."

Yaku snorted: "If I hadn't met you, I swear I was so close to burning this place down."

"You're still the intimidating little Yaku-san, hm?"

Yaku's hazel eyes glared at Lev, who immediately put up his hands defensively and begged for forgiveness. Just this once the libero decided to drop it and only arched a brow - a warning. Even after all these years his height or rather, lack thereof, was a sore subject. And who wouldn't develop an inferiority complex sitting right next to Haiba Lev, almost two metres tall and looking like a fucking Greek god.

"Don't press your luck", Yaku said with a rough voice after taking another sip of vodka.

"Huh? I thought that's what we are doing tonight?"

"What?"

Lev pointed at his wristwatch, one that probably cost more than Yaku's whole apartment, he thought at the back of his head. They had but 15 minutes of this year left.

"Getting new luck", Lev explained, innocence glistening in his eyes. "In about 15 minutes."

Yaku almost choked on his own tongue when he realized what he was referring to and suddenly the way he looked at him didn't seem so gullible anymore. Nervous fingertips knotted the hem of his shirt, as Yaku was caught by Lev's green gaze, narrowing and flashing him an intriguing glance through heavy-lidded eyes.

"Wait, are you serious?", again his eyes darted to the only window in the room; still he couldn't make anything out of the outside world. It was but a blur of snow and darkness, the arctic breeze rattling on the shutters. There surely wouldn't be any fireworks to celebrate this year.

"I can't keep any luck from you, can I? After all, you had such a shitty day, you seem to need it."

"I see", Yaku tried to keep his composure, taking yet another sip of vodka before he put the bottle on the nightstand, shifting around on the expensive silken bedsheets Lev had brought along. He found himself pressing his back against the head of the creaky bed and regretted the position immediately when he saw how Lev slipped towards him, legs crossed but close enough for Yaku to draw in another breath of his luxurious, tempting scent.

"Do you do this often, Lev? Kissing someone in hotel rooms?"

"Quite often", Yaku had hoped to make him at least as flustered as himself but Lev answered, keeping a straight face. "Usually the rooms are prettier, though."

He was at loss for words. While Lev continued to be a familiar face from his past, he was so different from the Lev he knew. This wasn't someone you could boss around or banter with while feeling superior. So Yaku's attitude stood no chance against him and it was unknown territory for him.

"We don't have to if you don't want to, Yaku-san", the flicker of a smile brushed over his beautiful face. He was mocking him, Yaku thought, nerves roiling in his stomach.

"No, of course. It's a New Year's Eve tradition", no way he would let himself get outplayed by Haiba Lev.

"Alright", Lev leaned forward until their faces were but inches apart and until he could smell the alcohol in his breath mixed with the scent of the expensive perfume he was wearing, dancing around Yaku's nose and making him all dizzy in his head and heart.

"You said we still have 15 minutes", Yaku's mouth was unusually dry when their gazes locked. He didn't want Lev to notice but now his breath was getting shallow, rapid bursts of air escaping his lips when the other one bent down a bit. Still, he had to look up to him. Even while sitting on the damn bed he was taller than him.

"I know, just getting into position", an innocent flutter of his long eyelashes.

"You think you are irresistible, huh?"

Lev smirked.

Yaku wondered how many people he had beguiled like this. Surely, someone like Lev never had to spend a holiday alone if he didn't want to. There must be thousands of people dreaming of getting with him, men and women alike. And what about him? Had he got lucky? What kind of fucked up fate was this? Booking into the same motel as a fucking supermodel, who accidentally was someone from his youth volleyball club? Yaku would never forgive himself for letting this chance go to waste - despite this being Lev, there hadn't to be any strings attached, right?

_Hell, it's just a kiss, not a proposal. Calm the fuck down, Yaku!_

Lev's big palms were placed right and left next to his head, still, with his flawless, straight posture he loomed over him, bewitching emerald eyes taunting him with their view. Instinctively, Yaku got into a more upward position as well. He knew exactly what Lev was doing. Putting his arms around him like this, mimicking a cage to create the picture of him being able to catch him because he was Haiba Lev and this was how he got what he wanted, apparently. Or rather, who he wanted.

Yaku had to admit it was a quite effective method, though he didn't want to give up just yet. He leaned forward, tilting his head back to look at him from underneath. While bending back his head, his nose brushed against Lev's chin before he stayed still, his face hovering right beneath him. He wasn't a supermodel but he was no angel either.

"Your charm is like 70 percent perfume."

"Is that so?", Lev cocked an eyebrow. "What are the other 30 percent?"

_Your sly attitude. Your perfect face. Your hot body._

"Vodka", Yaku grinned triumphantly.

Before he could enjoy his little victory, Lev had closed the last distance between them and long fingers curled around Yaku's jaw, guiding him towards his mouth. He almost lost his balance when Lev tilted his head further back so the tip of his tongue could glide across the small gap between Yaku's lips. Within seconds Yaku realized this couldn't be more different from his drunk midnight-kiss with Kuroo back in the days. Lev's kiss wasn't uncoordinated or clumsy from alcohol. Every movement of his lips, every brush of his tongue against his was precise, exquisite, breathtaking.

Yaku's hands swept up into the white hair, messing it up when he buried his fingers inside, pulling on the roots, keeping him close so he wouldn't dare to break their kiss. Hot palms against his chest pushed Yaku into the silken sheets and Lev's leg parted his knees so he could lay down on him, heavy but satisfying, pressing him deeper into the mattress, which protested with a shrill creak.

_Thank you, snowstorm Myriam, for leading me into this shithole of a motel._

Who would've thought his awful day would end like this? Lev's teeth gently pulled on his lower lip and a surprised moan escaped Yaku. He wanted to chase after him, get a hold of his vivid, red lips, hell he would be fine spending the whole next year kissing Lev for it felt so incredible. He was drawn to his perfect face. To his striking features and his somewhat snobby charm.

Yet, Lev broke their kiss and cupped his chin with his palm, staring down at him with an amused smirk dancing around his mouth.

"Okay, that was the final rehearsal."

"Wait, what?"

He turned his arm so Yaku was able to see the display of his watch.

_11:56 PM_

"It's not even midnight?!"

"Nah. But you were so impatient I couldn't make you wait."

"Tsk, you tricked m-"

"Also I have always wanted to do this", Lev admitted and for the blink of a second, there was a shy flicker in his emerald eyes. One he had seen before. At their summer volleyball camp. During endless practice nights where it had been only the two of them, Yaku pushing him through yet another set of receives until he got it right or Lev couldn't move anymore.

"Wait, for real?"

"I always fantasized about shutting your bossy mouth with a kiss", his voice was barely above a whisper and suddenly the way he was laying in his arms, on top of him in a foreign motel room, far away from the outside world, felt incredibly intimate. Sharing secrets of past summer days and teenage dreams. "I was too shy back then but today was the perfect opportunity."

"You have changed so much."

"You, however, haven't changed at all."

Yaku frowned. A sight, that caused Lev to chuckle. A rough tone ghosting over the smaller one's lips since they were so close.

"That's not a bad thing, Yaku-san. How did you call it? A piece of home."

"You didn't seem too fond of home in your stories."

"Oh no, I am", Lev's eyes widened in surprise. "But if I think too much about home, I get depressed. I spiral down into missing Japan, friends and even volleyball. The easier days."

"So practice with me was easy, huh?"

"Fuck, no. It was hell. You were a true demon-senpai. Sometimes I wake up and still feel my muscles ache in spots I didn't even know had muscles!", Lev dodged Yaku's incoming fist, who wanted to playfully punch him between the ribs and snatched his wrist out of the air. Gentle fingertips stroke over his pulse and Yaku felt the blood pounding in his ears when their eyes met once more. "But it was a great time, anyway."

"It was", the lump in his throat was back. This fucking homesickness would haunt him right into the new year it seemed. Even with Lev around it hadn't eased in his mind. Yaku's heart fell. He missed those days, too.

"I might get some time off this summer. We could meet in Japan, play some volleyball."

"As much as I'd love to see you suffer, I can't", somehow Lev had managed to make him smile again. "Olympics."

"Oh. Right. Forgot about that."

"It's wild, isn't it? Who would've thought we would make it this far."

"I did", again, Lev was straightforward with his answer. "I always knew you would play on the big stages of the world."

"Oh", was all Yaku managed to say. They weren't friends. Well, they had been friends once but with growing up their paths had led too far astray from each other to keep up with their relationship. He had never wished him anything but the best yet Lev had never been someone crossing his mind each day, unlike his closest friends. So it was weird hearing him saying how he always had believed in him. Yaku was at loss for words.

"We missed midnight", his chin nudged towards Lev's watch, showing it was already ten minutes into the new year.

"Shit! What now? Do kisses past midnight still bring one good luck?"

"I guess as long as it is the first of the year, it should work", Yaku decided, having no clue. All he knew was that he wanted to kiss Lev again. He snatched the front of his expensive shirt and dragged him down to his mouth. When their lips met, an almost shy laugh vibrated against their sensitive skin. Yaku muffled a bossy _Shut up_ into their kiss and Lev went along with it.

While the heavy snowstorm roared along the walls of the shittiest motel in whole Moscow and buried the world under endless masses of snow, Yaku melted into Lev's luxurious silken sheets and forgot about the most awful day of last year. He forgot about the ache in his heart, longing for his hometown and the embrace of his friends and family because Haiba Lev was perfect to wipe away any painful memories and fill his head with thrilling fantasies of kisses, hugs and whatever they would get themselves into tonight. 

He would gladly get swept away by this kind of storm any day.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year, everyone~!


End file.
